Re: DM: What is a TV challenge?

From: itlm013@dale.ucdavis.edu (Donnie Trump)

Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1993 18:09:15 +0000

In article <185737@pyramid.pyramid.com> khearn@pyrps5.eng.pyramid.com (Keith Hearn) writes:
>In article <C3s9J5.1yu@watcgl.uwaterloo.ca> cjwein@watcgl.uwaterloo.ca (Chris J. Wein) writes:
>>In article <009695DE.65ACCC20@abby.chem.ucla.edu> ben@abby.chem.ucla.edu writes:
>>>When you get a TV "Tournament Victor", by going 8-2 or better, you get
>>>to make a challenge at increased priority.   Basically,  the computer checks
>>>all Bloodfueds, then all TV challenges, then all regular 1st challenges, then all 2nd challenges.
>>>
>>>At least I think that's how it works...

>According to the _Red_Book_of_Alastari_, 'Challenging the same warrior
>  twice (called "double challenging") increases the likelihood of
>  succeeding in the challenge'.

When a warrior avoids your challenge, you only have a 20% chance of succ-
essfully getting your challenge.  Double challenges are only useful if you
are being avoided, because they give two shots at getting your challenge
through.  If you are not being avoided, there is a 100% success rate.

>If this is true, then neither of the two above algorithms seem likely.
>  My guess is that a warrior is picked by the computer (how this pick
>  is made could be by seniority, or random, or some other way, I
>  haven't given it much thought), then everyone who is challenging is
>  put into a hat (well, ok, so the computer doesn't actually use a
>  hat, you get the idea, tho), with double challenges put in twice,
>  then a name is drawn from the hat and that person's challenge succeeds.
>  This would give double challenges an increased chance. This would
>  also mean that the order that you put your challenges would be
>  meaningless.

Nope, pretty much what he said is true.  The algorithm goes like this:

1)  Dark Arena.  (Interestingly enough, you can challenge a warrior in your
	first slot, and the DA in the second.  If you don't get your
	challenge, then you go to the DA.  Useful for dixies).
2)  Bloodfeuds.
3)  Tournament Victors, i.e.  TV Challenges.  They can be avoided at the same
	rate as normal challenges.  The benefit of the TV Challenge is that
	the entire pool of warriors is available (more or less).
4)  Normal Challenges.  As far as I can tell, there is no prescribed manner
	of determining who gets to challenge first.
5)  Random Matchups.

>Looking at the fight listing from my lastest newsletter, I'd say that
>  first DA fights are done, to get them out of the pool, then
>  bloodfeuds are checked, and if a fighter is being bloodfeuded by
>  more than one other fighter, the 'hat' system above could be used,
>  then Title Challenges, then other challenges, then anyone whos is
>  left over is matched with someone they can legelly fight. Anyone
>  left over once the legal matches are made is put up against a
>  commission standin, like a CONVICTED FELON. I've never seen a TV
>  challenge in the listings from my arena, so I don't know if they
>  would come before bloodfeuds, Title challenges or just before
>  regular challenges.

Title Challenges are just any fight that determine who will be Duelmaster
next turn.  They get no special priority.  Also, TV Challenges don't gt
a special annotation, except at the top of the actual fight.  Look for
people who were TV's or TC's in the last 6 months, and then see how close
they are to the Bloodfeud section.  If they're within a couple lines, they
probably got their TV Challenge through.

>Problems I see with the 'hat' system: I don't know how avoids would be
>  handled in it, since I haven't done much with avoids. Does using an
>  avoid guarantee that you won't fight a warrior from that stable, or
>  is it not a guarantee? If avoids are a sure guarantee against
>  challenges, then fighters from stables that you are avoiding would
>  not have their names put in the hat to challenge you.

Avoids give an 80% challenge of nullifying a challenge.  They also reduce
the chance that you will meet that particular stable in a random matchup.

>Another problem is that the duelmaster would never be able to
>  challenge anyone if anyone eligable to fight him/her was challenging
>  (avoids  and bloodfeuds notwithstanding), since the duelmaster is
>  the first person who is checked for challenges. Anyone who's had a
>  Deulmaster care to comment on how often you've managed to
>  successfully (non-bloodfeud) challenge while holding down the DM
>  spot and not avoiding those who were likely to be challenging you?

There is a very small class of warriors who are actually able to challenge
the Duelmaster, so this can be either a problem or a blessing. Some managers
will challenge one warrior, then use their two avoids to get around the
most potentially dangerous opponents.  I've seen this result in 3-4 turns
of the DM fighting RSI NPC's, then going off to AD.

TV's are nice, but not a cure-all for the ills of the challenge system.  I
actually preferred the old days, where you could only challenge *up* in
the rankings.

But that was a looooooooooong time ago.

Trump
dfcleary@ucdavis.edu

References

Re: DM: What is a TV challenge?
khearn@pyrps5.eng.pyramid.com (Keith Hearn)
Fri, 12 Mar 1993 23:49:58 +0000
Re: DM: What is a TV challenge?
ben@abby.chem.ucla.edu
Fri, 12 Mar 1993 02:41:32 +0000
Re: DM: What is a TV challenge?
cjwein@watcgl.uwaterloo.ca (Chris J. Wein)
Fri, 12 Mar 1993 15:54:37 +0000

Referenced By

Re: DM: What is a TV challenge?
khearn@pyrps5.eng.pyramid.com (Keith Hearn)
Fri, 12 Mar 1993 23:49:58 +0000
Re: DM: What is a TV challenge?
ben@abby.chem.ucla.edu
Fri, 12 Mar 1993 02:41:32 +0000
Re: DM: What is a TV challenge?
cjwein@watcgl.uwaterloo.ca (Chris J. Wein)
Fri, 12 Mar 1993 15:54:37 +0000